In the Media 2004
The Koala and Wildlife Hospital needs your help
26 August 2004
The Range News, page 4
By: Kate Johns
Did you know that Australia Zoo’s Koala and Wildlife Hospital is providing care to 39 injured koalas and they are not officially open yet? The hospital began in March to collect sick, injured or orphaned koalas and bring them to a state-of-the-art facility. The hospital provides care and rehabilitation and, where possible, releases them back into the wild.
Dedicated staff are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to take calls for assessment of koala situations where the probability of injury or death is high; and the pick up of koalas that have been injured or orphaned and that require care and rehabilitation. The hospital is a non-profit organisation and relies heavily on community involvement, donations and fundraising.
Hospital Gail Gipp lives at the hospital providing 24-hour care to the koalas and sick native animals that may be brought in during the night. “The three main causes of koala injuries are being hit by a car, dog attacks and disease.” With over 32 koalas being admitted to the hospital in the past 20 days the hospital needs any assistance from the community.
“If anyone has spare towels, equipment, or makeshift pouches that would be of great help to the hospital,” said Gail. One of the star patients of the Koala Hospital who has benefited from their exceptional treatment is a two-year old koala Steve. Steve came to the hospital with life threatening injuries after being hit by a car crossing the Bruce Highway at Burpengary.
Steve had multiple pelvic fractures, massive soft tissue trauma to the pelvic canal, assive facial trauma, lacerated tongue, multiple jaw fracture, maxillary fracture, distal humeral fracture and a ruptured liver to name a few injuries. Thanks to the hospital’s skilled vet Jon Hanger and qualified staff, Steve survived after two hours of surgery to repair his jaw. After 22 days in intensive care Steve is now walking and climbing trees in the hospital’s exercise yard.
The Koala Hospital and rescue unit includes a veterinary facility with an intensive care room, and separate holding facilities to divide male and female koalas, and diseased from non-diseased animals. There is also an orphan hardening enclosure designed specifically to allow hand-raised animals develop climbing skills and to disassociate the attachment that exists between the animals and human handlers.
To find out any more information about the Koala and Wildlife Hospital or to make a donation, please phone Linda 5436 2098 or visit the website www.siwf.com.au Also the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation Koala and Wildlife Hospital are raffling a Toyota Corolla on Friday December 24 at Australia Zoo. For tickets phone 1800 33 43.
